Is the bedside timed vibration test reliable?

Muscle Nerve. 2009 Feb;39(2):221-3. doi: 10.1002/mus.21143.

Abstract

The timed vibration test (TVT) is an easy-to-perform bedside sensory test; however, its reliability is not well established at sites commonly used for clinical testing. We evaluated intra- and interrater reliability of the TVT in a healthy control cohort of 25 adult volunteers and assessed the influence of neurologic training on TVT. Intrarater [intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) range 0.79-0.92] and interrater (ICC range 0.0.82-0.95) reliability of TVT was high at different sites, which suggests that TVT is a reliable bedside examination when performed using a standardized protocol.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Ankle / innervation
  • Ankle / physiology
  • Female
  • Fingers / innervation
  • Fingers / physiology
  • Humans
  • Knee / innervation
  • Knee / physiology
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Muscle, Skeletal / innervation*
  • Point-of-Care Systems*
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Toes / innervation
  • Toes / physiology
  • Vibration*
  • Young Adult